


Pardon the way that I stare

by tattooedgreenhouse



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: (kind of), Fake/Pretend Relationship, Feelings Realization, M/M, Oh No He's Hot, Padmé has had Enough, Sharing a Bed, Undercover as a Couple, do not be fooled this fic is just a handful of tropes in a trenchcoat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:21:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25099096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tattooedgreenhouse/pseuds/tattooedgreenhouse
Summary: “Sir, I have reason to believe that when they use the word ‘companion’ here, they mean something closer to ‘consort’ or ‘partner’.” Rex isn’t looking at him, and Anakin’s ears warm at the implication of his words.“So, when I-”“Yes.”“And they think we’re-”“Uh huh.”
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala & Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 66
Kudos: 537
Collections: The Gay Awakens





	1. Oh no, he's hot

**Author's Note:**

> I blame [barissoffee](https://barissoffee.tumblr.com/tagged/rexwalker) on tumblr for completely pulling me into the rexwalker circus. 
> 
> This is me just putting my grubby little hands on a bunch of tropes at once.

They had been assigned a diplomatic mission by the Jedi council to a neutral world which had largely stayed out of the war. The agreement specified that they required one Jedi and one associate only to act as envoys to discuss trade agreements. The council’s first pick had been Obi Wan and Commander Cody, but they were under siege in the Mid-Rim, and so they had contacted the 501st.

They had just dropped Ahsoka off on Coruscant for “disciplinary action” after a bout of recklessness in their last campaign. Rex knew that she would simply be relegated to the archives, but he also knew she would hate every minute of it. He restrained himself from cheering every time she was sent back to the Jedi Temple because, as much as he was proud of her, he couldn’t help but want to keep her away from the front lines, she was still a (natural-born) kid after all.

The world they were visiting had been adamantly against the war in any form, so Rex would not be visiting in his official capacity as a Captain of the GAR, but his job was ostensibly to keep Skywalker out of trouble. He was forced to leave his armor behind, but he could not be convinced to part with his DC-17 blasters, and he requested a shoulder holster so that he could keep them on hand under his civvies. He had originally gotten pushback on what they saw was a frivolous request, but when he pointed out that he would be paired with General Skywalker, they gave in.

Anakin was a little offended that he had been the backup option for this mission, but he had to admit that negotiating trade deals was much more Obi Wan’s area of expertise. He was determined to prove himself, though, and Enoba was only agreeing to a trade deal because the Separatists had raided one of their moons and killed their people. They were staunchly advocating neutrality, but their feathers (not actual feathers, they were not an avian species) had been ruffled enough that they were considering giving key supplies to the Republic, including valuable nysillin that they obtained through their own arrangements with Felucia.

The GAR needed those supplies, and when he explained the situation to Rex, they both had jumped on the opportunity. They were not there officially as General and Captain, in fact, the Enoban people would not allow any open signs of the war, so he was not allowed to wear his usual robes or his armor—he was allowed to keep his lightsaber only so he could prove that he was a Jedi.

He had asked Padmé about clothing that would make them look sufficiently dignified without outright associating them with the military, and she had sent them several options.

“And I know they’re going to make Rex leave his armor behind, and he’s going to hate that.” He had told her. “He’s earned his _aliike_ and gotten attached to that armor.”

She wanted to respond, _it looks like you’re rather attached to him_ , but she knew Anakin was either blissfully ignorant or seriously in denial, so she only smiled indulgently. He talked about Rex constantly, how great of a captain he was, how he looked taking out droids with his twin blaster pistols, or how protective he was of his men and Ahsoka.

She picked out their clothing carefully, thinking about the handful of times she had seen the Captain track Anakin’s movements closely in a way that made her want to lock them in a closet somewhere and let them sort themselves out.

Then she waited for the results of the mission with bated breath.

When they were about an hour out from Enoba, Anakin let Rex use the refresher to get changed as he checked the nav computer to program their landing. A few minutes later he heard the door _whoosh_ open behind him and threw a glance over his shoulder to check on Rex, and promptly choked on his own tongue.

He would recognize the bulky silhouette of his Captain in armor anywhere, but the cut of the charcoal grey suit jacket across the width of his shoulders was something entirely new. The pale blue of his shirt was open at the collar, and it exposed more of his tawny skin than Anakin normally saw outside of the medbay. As he walked out of the refresher and towards the copilot’s seat, Anakin could see the handles of his DC-17s as the jacket shifted around his torso.

He suddenly realized that Rex was speaking.

“-I just hope we don’t run into a situation that requires me to fight hand to hand, I would feel bad ruining these clothes. Though I feel pretty naked without my armor.”

Oh, but that was an image that had no business living in Anakin’s head. He shut down that train of thought quickly as Rex put a hand on the back of the copilot’s chair and looked at him curiously.

Anakin remembered that he was meant to be doing something, and he wrenched his eyes away from tracing the row of buttons down the front of Rex’s shirt to dig through the bag with their clothes (the Captain _did not_ need to be ogled by his General) and he finally found the small box he was looking for. He fumbled with it as he held it out to Rex, who had gone strangely still.

“This is for you, I had them made for the mission. To have something of your armor with you.”

Rex took it tentatively and removed the lid, revealing a pair of golden lapel pins fashioned to look like the jaig eyes on his helmet. Anakin saw the slightest tremble in Rex’s fingers as he touched one of them and he thought maybe he’d overstepped his bounds, but then a soft grin lit up his Captain’s face and he desperately wished he had something else to give him just to see it again.

He distracted himself by fishing one of his own outfits out of the bag and excusing himself to change.

When General Skywalker had looked at him with those bright blue eyes and held out a small jewelry box, Rex had nearly had a heart attack.

Then he held his breath when he realized what it actually was.

After he disappeared behind the ‘fresher door, Rex sat heavily down in the copilot’s chair and ran a hand over his face. Skywalker could be so kriffing _endearing_ sometimes. Even after pulling some completely reckless stunt he would turn to Rex, blue eyes sparkling with victory and a look that plainly said _See, Rex? My plan_ did _work._ And the worst part was, he never seemed to notice he was doing it.

He took one of the pins out of the box and ran his thumb over the metal, the thoughtfulness of the gesture warming him down to his toes, then he turned his attention to the ship to distract him from Skywalker’s complete obliviousness of the effect he had. But when the refresher door opened again, all hope of ignoring his feelings went out the viewport window.

Senator Amidala had apparently noticed the long lines of the General’s body too, and he cursed her thoroughly in his mind as he trailed his eyes along the perfectly tailored coat in a deep burgundy that emphasized his trim waist with a wide belt reminiscent of his usual robes. The straight line of his pants tucked into tall leather boots that added another inch or so to his height. Skywalker’s hair seemed different too, the bronze waves were lightly tousled, creating a halo around his head even in the sickly fluorescent light of the shuttle’s cockpit.

Rex slammed the walls up around his mind like he was trained to do whenever they ran into Dooku or Ventress, because he could not let his General see the state of his thoughts at that moment. Skywalker would be mortified if he sensed the way his Captain itched to sink his fingers into that long hair or run his teeth down the column of his throat, and his trust in Rex would be gone. And he would sooner request a transfer to another unit than be separated from his General, so he locked down any of those stray thoughts before they had a chance to form.

When they landed, Anakin and Rex walked down the shuttle ramp and were immediately met by a greeting party, including the Minister who sent the message and a small contingent of aides. They bowed and Anakin stepped forward to formally address the Minister.

“We were gratified to receive your request, Minister Rohana. I am Anakin Skywalker, and this is my companion, Rex.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw the Captain incline his head in acknowledgement, but ripples of conversation had broken out around them.

“Your companion?” The Minister repeated. Anakin glanced at Rex, who appeared to be passively observing but he could tell was confused, then turned back to the group.

“Yes?”

Minister Rohana looked vaguely surprised, then made a motion at one of their aides, who looked at them curiously before disappearing into one of the neighboring buildings. Rohana then glanced at the lightsaber at Anakin’s belt before speaking again.

“Thank you for answering my call, Knight Skywalker. We were recently… _incentivized_ to provide some form of assistance to the Republic. At least, something that will help deal with the Separatists and end this appalling war.”

“I understand, and I will do my best to negotiate a mutually beneficial trade agreement for you and your people.” Anakin inclined his torso in a shallow bow and the Minister returned it, gesturing for them to follow as they turned toward one of the courtyards.

It appeared they were to be taken on an informal tour before the business began. The capital city was built on a terraced hill looking out over a dense forest, and Anakin thought it would have been a beautiful place to explore on any other occasion, but he wanted to make sure that this trade deal went off without a hitch.

At one point they were introduced to one of the Governors, and the woman who accompanied her was described as her _companion_. Anakin noticed an unusual emphasis laid on the term, but he dismissed it as being unfamiliar with the culture. Governor Stithta and her companion said their brief hellos and wandered off, and Rex asked their guide quietly where the nearest ‘fresher was. He was given directions and he shot a look at Anakin that clearly said _please don’t get into trouble while I’m gone_ before walking down an adjacent corridor.

Anakin attempted to make small talk with the guide while they stood in the courtyard and waited, asking about the climate and local traditions. The guide answered his questions in brief, measured responses, but then Rex was back sooner than anticipated and looking unusually ruffled.

Anakin hurriedly signed _All Clear?_ where the guide could not see it, but Rex just walked up to him, made a quick smile, and asked “May I borrow my _companion_ for a moment?”

Now Rex was emphasizing the word oddly.

The guide complied and wandered over to speak with one of the passing dignitaries, and Anakin ran his eyes down Rex’s body looking for any sign of injury, trying to control the conflicting worry and heat in his gaze. His eyes skimming from one lapel pin to the other and lingering on the exposed bits of collarbone in between.

“Sir, we may have a slight problem.”

Anakin looked back the way Rex had come but there was no one following him. A muscle in Rex’s jaw was twitching and he looked… flustered?

“Is everything alright, Rex?”

“Sir, I have reason to believe that when they use the word ‘companion’ here, they mean something closer to ‘consort’ or ‘partner’.” Rex isn’t looking at him, and Anakin’s ears warm at the implication of his words.

“So, when I-”

“Yes.”

“And they think we’re-”

“Uh huh.”

Anakin is suddenly very aware of the way Rex is leaning into him so that they cannot be overheard, but apart from the agitated quality of his voice, he appears to be keeping calm.

“How have you come by this conclusion?” A light flush crept across Rex’s cheeks and Anakin tried hard not to stare.

“I may have seen Governor Stithta and her _companion_ on my way back from the ‘fresher. They were… rather intimate.”

Rex took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. “Do you still want to stay?”

Anakin forced himself to think about the situation without letting his mind dwell on the fact they thought Rex and he were… together.

_What if it was them sneaking off to a side room? Rex’s hands on his waist, the brush of lips on his neck-_

Using every ounce of self-control, he forced himself to clear his mind and think logically. The Republic could benefit immensely from this trade agreement, and he wanted to prove that he could succeed even when the mission wasn’t just blowing something up or out-piloting some droids.

He swallowed around a knot in his throat as he thought about having to put his Captain through pretending to be in a relationship with him, but he steadied his thoughts enough to ask, “I would like to prove I can solidify this trade deal, but if you are uncomfortable with any of this, I will not make you stay with me.”

Rex’s eyes softened into something unreadable for a moment before his jaw clenched and he nodded.

“I would like to stay with you if that’s alright, sir.”

Of course he was going to stay with General Skywalker, there was nowhere else he would rather be, and the _jetii_ looked so unsure to the point where Rex decided he wasn’t going to leave his side unless he absolutely had to.

He lent his arm to his General for the rest of the afternoon, and he took it hesitantly at first but then clung to him like a lifeline. Toward dusk they were ushered into a ballroom for a round of drinks with various dignitaries where they got the chance to mingle with the government officials they were supposed to be negotiating with.

Rex stuck close to General Skywalker as much as he could, and when several different people cast lecherous looks over them both, he was quick to introduce himself as his General’s _companion_ , studiously ignoring the lurch of possessiveness in his gut when he did. It would be hypocritical of him to be jealous when he was guilty of letting his gaze linger on his General longer than strictly necessary whenever he sparred with General Kenobi, or whenever he shot Rex a wicked grin after pulling off a tricky maneuver in his Delta-7.

Despite Fives’s repeated jabs, Rex was not blind. He knew Skywalker was attractive, and he was often aware of that fact far more than he should have been. He fought with himself constantly when his General lingered close enough that he could hook his fingers in his tunics if he just reached out far enough. With the General in those tall boots, Rex was at just the right height to sink his teeth into the pulsepoint at his jaw, and as a result there was a perpetual loop of _He Is Your Commanding Officer_ running through his head in a fierce, shameful tone.

He only excused himself once that evening for a brief moment to clear his head under the guise of getting a drink, but when he looked back he could see the General bristling with anger from across the room, and Rex picked up a glass in one hand and made his way over to his side. He plastered a calm smile onto his face and nodded to the Enoban official Anakin was talking to, while at the same time sliding an arm around his back until his unoccupied hand rested in the curve of his General’s waist. Skywalker immediately went rigid under his touch. _Kriff, now I’ve made him uncomfortable_ , he thought, and began speaking to the indignant official in order to alleviate some of the tension in the air.

Trying to keep them both calm, he moved his thumb in little soothing swipes against his General’s side. His hand was warm with the body heat seeping through Anakin’s jacket, and the official had calmed down, making polite conversation. When they turned to ask their neighbor something, Rex made to step away from his General, but when he did Skywalker moved with him so that they remained touching. He glanced over at the Enobans to make sure they were still occupied before leaning into Anakin, curling into his side until his chest was pressed against his General’s arm and he could be certain that his voice would not carry to anyone else.

“Are you alright, sir?” Skywalker nodded his head in jerky little movements, and Rex could just see the flush high on his cheeks and at the tips of his ears.

“Would you like to leave?” The General reached down to the hand still around his waist and tapped out _soon, but not yet_. Rex nodded and uncurled himself from around his General, the body heat that had been accumulating between them dissipating in the night air, leaving him chilled. He left the arm around his waist for as long as it took for the official to lose interest and meander away, then he slowly retracted it, shoving his hand in his pocket to retain some of the warmth left by his General’s body.

“Would you like this, sir?” He asked softly, offering him the drink he had forgotten he was holding. The _jetii_ took a deep breath of night air and the flush on his cheeks subsided a bit, but he took the glass gratefully. Skywalker remained close to his side until they were allowed to retreat to their quarters for the night, and Rex held out hope that he hadn’t made his General too uncomfortable.

One of the aides led them to their quarters in the far wing of the villa, stopping in front of the door and bowing before leaving down another corridor. Anakin was resisting the urge to curl close to Rex again, even though his Captain had been shielding his emotions from him since before they landed. With how on edge he had been when they agreed to act the part of a couple for the sake of the mission, he supposed it might have been just to help Rex cope with the situation.

The balloon of warmth that had made a home in his chest since Rex had pulled him close in the ballroom deflated slightly when he thought about how disgusted his Captain might be if he found out how much he had enjoyed being pressed into his side. The path of his thumb still burned on the spot beneath his ribs that was meant to be soothing. He locked his thoughts down and pushed the door open, freezing as he looked at the large four-poster bed that dominated the room.

Rex was still behind him, and only saw that Anakin had stopped moving. “Sir?”

“This mission is more trouble than it’s worth,” he grumbled as he stepped into the room to let Rex get a glimpse of what lay inside. He saw his Captain look at the bed and blink, startled and rapid, before letting out a long breath through his nose and following him inside.

Their bags had been retrieved from the shuttle and set at the foot of the bed, and Anakin heard a noise as he turned around to see Rex take off his suit jacket and carefully place it over the back of a chair.

“Kriffing clothes cost more than a good blaster.”

He wasn’t paying attention. His Captain moved and he saw the shoulder holster framing the width of his shoulders and the lines of his back in a way that made his mouth go dry. Anakin quickly dug into his bag as he tried to keep a lid on his rapidly spiraling thoughts. This mission was not the time or place to realize his Captain was very attractive, or linger on the way he had felt pressed against him. Rex didn’t deserve that undesired attention.

He fished out his sleep clothes and gestured towards the ‘fresher; Rex nodded, and Anakin ducked inside to change. He undid the ties on his tunic and the fastenings on his boots and put on the (very soft) sleepwear that Padmé had packed for them. He did _not_ think about the large but still very daunting bed that he was expected to sleep in.

With Rex.

With feelings he was only now realizing ran deeper than simple respect and friendship.

When he left the refresher, Rex was cleaning his duel pistols with a rag even though Anakin knew he kept them spotless. His eyes were immediately drawn to the way Rex had his sleeves rolled up to the elbow, more skin and a collection of scars exposed in the low light of their room. Anakin cleared his throat and Rex looked up. When he saw the ‘fresher was unoccupied, he picked up his own clothing to go change.

As soon as he was out of the room, Anakin went onto the small balcony and took several deep breaths. Rex wasn’t letting the situation get to him, and neither would he.

He went back inside and looked at the bed grumpily. He wasn’t going to let Rex sleep on the floor, and there wasn’t a couch in the room, so the bed would have to do. At that moment Rex came out of the ‘fresher and they both realized at the same time that their sleep clothes were _matching._

He cursed Padmé in his head while gesturing stiffly to the bed. It was enormous, they wouldn’t even be touching. He could do this. He ignored the voice in his head that sounded like Obi Wan complaining about him sprawling across the bed when he was a child. Rex turned off the light and moved tentatively toward him.

“Are you sure, sir? These carpets are probably more than comfortable enough for me to sleep on the floor.”

“The bed is big enough that we should be fine each taking a side, and I will _not_ have you sleeping on the floor when we have other options.”

Rex took another steadying breath and nodded firmly before lifting the covers on one side of the bed and sliding underneath them. Anakin followed his lead on the opposite side and they each laid on their backs for a while, staring at the ceiling and trying desperately not to put too much thought into their situation. Eventually Anakin reached over and settled a hand lightly on Rex’s arm, feeling him tense beneath his palm.

“If I start snoring, feel free to kick me.” Rex huffed a laugh and some of the tension in the air dissipated.

“Are you likely to snore?”

“No one’s ever told me I do, but you never know.” He squeezed his Captain’s arm gently and rolled over so that he was facing the wall.

“Good night, Rex.”

“ _Jate’ca,_ General,” was the soft reply.


	2. Oh shit we have to act like a couple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Padmé does it again
> 
> Both Rex and Anakin at different points in the mission- "Should I be enjoying this?"

When Rex woke it was to the first touches of sunlight coming in through the balcony doors, and the feeling of sleeping more comfortably than he had in a very long time. He was still on his back on his side of the bed (he knew he didn’t tend to move much in his sleep, a leftover habit from the sleeping pods on Kamino) but General Skywalker had rolled in the night until he was half on top of him. He had shifted further down the bed until his face was tucked into the base of Rex’s neck and slow puffs of breath were warm against his skin. There was a leg and an arm thrown around him, and the General’s shirt had ridden up in his sleep so a strip of tanned skin could be seen above his waistband.

Rex stared at the ceiling, breathing deeply and ignoring the brush of his General’s hair against his jaw (from what he could feel it was exactly as soft as he imagined). It would be the easiest thing in the world to curl around him, to bring his hand up to that hair and tug until their lips pressed together, to slide his fingers along that bit of exposed midriff and feel the heat of sun-warmed skin. It would be too easy, and Rex shoved those thoughts into a dark corner of his mind before he did something that would get him decommissioned.

As much as he was wrapped around Rex like a mynock, he knew General Skywalker was a heavy sleeper, and so he folded a hand around his shoulder—careful not to touch skin—and pushed gently until he rolled onto his back. Rex felt suddenly cold, but he ignored it and slid so that he could throw his legs over the side of the bed and sit up.

He looked over and watched the sunlight playing across the curls of Skywalker’s burnished hair. Allowing a brief moment to let his imagination wander, he thought about what the sun would look like playing across his skin and the smooth contours of his muscles instead of the fabric of the sleep clothes. After he added this moment of weakness into the place where he kept track of such things in his mind, Rex stood and stretched, running a hand over his buzzed-short hair.

There was a soft knock at the door. General Skywalker mumbled something but didn’t stir, so Rex hesitantly opened the door to their quarters just enough to see who was behind it. It was one of the aides from the day before holding out a sturdy piece of flimsiplast on a tray. Rex hesitantly reached out to take it and the aide inclined his head in acknowledgement before speaking softly.

“Is there anything you will be needing this morning, sir?”

Rex bit back the instinctual urge to say he was fine, and instead he thought for a moment. “If you could bring any caf, we would be incredibly grateful.”

The aide nodded and walked away down the hall. Rex closed the door behind him as quietly as possible and turned back to the bed.

His General really _was_ beautiful. All long lines in the taper of his waist and the length of his legs, with the occasional beauty mark dotting his skin (Not like his master. Rex had once seen General Kenobi freckle in the sun and it had been _adorable._ He had no trouble believing that over half of the 212th harbored feelings for him). But Skywalker had always seemed to glow, by turns flashing his teeth in an over-eager grin and then twisting his full lips into a sullen pout. He was so _expressive_.

Rex was supposed to keep an eye on his General, it was part of being the captain, but the more he saw, the more an aching want took up residence beneath his ribs, pulsing warm and hot, and he had grown used to clenching his fists at his sides instead of reaching out to pull his General closer.

Rex braced himself for another day of keeping his thoughts under lock and key, stretching his arms up over his head and walking over to their bags. He set the card on the table and pulled out a new shirt. This one was a pale gold that shimmered slightly in the light. He didn’t even want to know how much it cost, and he certainly wasn’t going to ask Senator Amidala when they got back to Coruscant. She had already looked far too smug when seeing them off.

Rex draped the shirt gingerly over the back of one of the chairs and reached out to run his fingers lightly over the golden jaig eye pins on his jacket, warmth bubbling in his veins and a soft smile on his face. Then he walked into the refresher for a quick shower with actual water. The soap was richer than anything he had used before and it smelled almost spicy, like pomegranates and pipesmoke, and he found he quite liked it. Maybe he’d take some with him when he left—he was quite sure that they wouldn’t miss it.

Rex had put on the underclothes and pants he when he heard another soft knock at the door. He wandered over and opened it cautiously, revealing the aide from before holding a new tray with a pot of caf, two ceramic cups, containers of sweetener and cream, and a small bowl of fruit. The aide didn’t even blink at Rex’s absence of a shirt, and he had long grown out of self-consciousness as a cadet. He took the tray with a murmur of thanks and the aide disappeared.

They tray _clinked_ slightly as he set it on the table, pouring out a cup of caf for himself and grabbing his shirt off the chair. Rex heard a rustling sound from the bed before a muffled voice came floating across the room.

“Do I smell caf?”

He laughed. “Yes, sir, you do. Want me to pour you a cup? I’m not adding that ridiculous amount of sweetener, though.”

Rex preferred just a splash of milk to cut the worst of the bitterness in the mess hall caf, but he had long since learned that, while his General valued the caffeine, he liked it sweet enough to give him a toothache and tasting nothing like actual caf.

He heard a muted groan of assent and poured another cup. Rex threw his shirt on and wandered over to the balcony door where he could soak up the warmth of the sunlight. Ever since he had left the bed, he’d felt unusually chilled. When he started working on the buttons of his shirt, he became aware that his General was watching him, and he looked over to see Skywalker staring at him with an odd look on his face. His ears were a bright, flushed red.

“Sir?” Rex stilled with his fingers on one of the buttons halfway up the shirt. General Skywalker looked up from where he was staring at Rex’s chest, with his lips slightly parted and his eyes wide. He looked startled, but then he shook his head, curls bouncing, and smiled.

“Sorry, Rex. Still waking up.”

Slowly drifting awake in an incredibly comfortable bed to the smell of caf and the low rumble of his Captain’s voice was one of the best ways Anakin could think of to wake up. He asked for a cup of caf with his face smushed into one of the pillows, and then sat up, stretching his arms over his head and wiggling his toes beneath the blankets. He was then immediately struck by the sight that greeted him.

Rex was standing in the sunlight pouring through the balcony windows, his buzzed hair and eyes cast in the golden glow of early morning. His shirt hung unbuttoned, framing the planes of his chest and torso. Anakin’s mouth went dry and his thoughts turned decidedly away from thinking of Rex with the same respectful fondness he had before this kriffing mission. He swallowed the petulant whine that caught in the back of his throat when Rex began buttoning his shirt and all that skin was hidden behind a shimmery shirt that he needed to have a word with Padmé about when they got back.

He heard a confused “Sir?” and snapped his eyes up to Rex’s face where he was looking at him with concern. Anakin gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile and waved away his worry. He lurched out of bed and made for the table where he could see a mug of caf waiting him, and he occupied his thoughts instead by adding a few spoonfulls of sugar and a portion of cream, ignoring Rex’s snort as he watched from the window.

“That card was also dropped off, sir.” Rex pointed at what looked like a fancy invitation propped up next to the fruit bowl. Anakin snatched it up and looked at it closely.

“We have been formally invited to a luncheon after our meeting, do you think we need to brush up on our table manners?”

Rex laughed as he wandered over to look at the invitation. “I seem to be doing fine playing the strong silent type so far, I see no need to stop now. You, on the other hand…”

Rex jokingly ran his eyes up and down Anakin’s rumpled sleep clothes and he ignored the heat curling under his collar.

“I will have you know, Obi Wan emphasized the importance of etiquette when I was a padawan…” he shrugged, “I just never saw the point.”

Rex laughed harder and Anakin wanted nothing more than to hear that noise against his skin. He wished Rex had stayed in the bed and they could pretend they had nothing better to do than bask in the sunlight and each other and exist for a moment away from the war.

But they couldn’t.

Rex was his Captain, and the last thing he wanted was to put their working relationship in jeopardy. He was strong and competent, and Anakin could only imagine the stony silence he would receive if he ever acted on the desires that seeped through the cracks in the walls he kept around his mind. Rex was too professional to show him outright disgust, but the blank looks he could imagine on his Captain’s face felt even worse.

Anakin took a quick gulp of the caf before ducking his head and searching through his bag for another outfit. He pulled out a new jacket and pants and draped them over his arm as he turned toward the refresher.

“The shower any good?”

Rex’s lips curled around his mug and he let out a low, rumbling hum. “Mmhm. It’s got running water.” Anakin grinned and headed into the ‘fresher.

He took a quick shower, perhaps longer than he normally would, but he still couldn’t bring himself to waste water even 12 years after leaving the desert. He scrunched most of the wetness out of his hair and ran his fingers through it until he wasn’t in danger of dripping onto his new clothes, then slid on the pants and the undershirt and threw the coat over his shoulders.

Anakin walked back out into the bedroom and saw that Rex had pulled one of the chairs out onto the balcony and was sitting in the sun with a new cup of caf. He grabbed another chair and joined him, realizing with a bolt of heat that Padmé had again planned their outfits deliberately. He looked down at his own high-collared black jacket and noticed the embroidery creeping across his right shoulder and left sleeve were the same shade of pale gold as Rex’s shirt, which was now shimmering in the morning light.

Anakin slumped down in his chair and braced his toes against the bars of the balcony railing, enjoying the peace and quiet, but after a while he took a breath and considered the dangerous territory his emotions were headed to if they continued playing these roles _._ He needed to make sure they were on the same page.

“There are some details we should hammer out for today.”

Rex looked at him out of the corner of his eye, sipping his caf. “Details, sir?”

Anakin tried hard to keep his voice neutral. “For one, if we’re going to keep up this act you should probably get used to calling me Anakin.”

He saw the cup of caf hover halfway to Rex’s mouth and a very faint flush appear on his cheeks. He hoped he wasn’t going to far, but he needed to make sure that Rex knew what he was getting into.

Rex’s lips were pressed into a thin line but he nodded. “And what about yesterday? I didn’t go too far?”

“No, in fact, you might have to do more of it.” Anakin didn’t think he was imagining it this time as Rex blushed, but he nodded again.

“Anything else, do you think?”

Anakin shook his head. “I don’t think so. If we appear to be a couple outwardly, I doubt they’ll ask us for proof. They didn’t when we first arrived.”

Rex took a sip of his caf to avoid looking his Gen— _Anakin_ in the eye. He relaxed slightly—he hadn’t made Anakin too uncomfortable. As tense as he had been the night before, Rex hoped Skywalker would be okay with his closeness now if he was anticipating it. He studied his General as he slunk back down into his chair. The light glittered in his hair and the embroidery in his coat. Senator Amidala _had_ looked far too smug when they had left Coruscant. Rex hadn’t been _that_ obvious, had he?

He must have been, because she had again matched their outfits and emphasized the lines of his General’s body in an immensely flattering way that made it hard for Rex to keep his gaze neutral. Anakin hadn’t buttoned the coat yet and so it hung around his waist, the high belt of the pants making his legs look impossibly long, and that was before he put on those ridiculous leather boots.

Rex was distracted as Anakin lazily raised a hand and the bowl of fruit floated itself from the table and into his lap. He raised an eyebrow and Rex snorted over his nearly-gone cup of caf.

“I’ve had to endure General Kenobi’s lectures on misuse of the force, too, you know.”

“I won’t tell him if you won’t.”

Rex rolled his eyes at Anakin’s entirely too self-satisfied expression and he watched a bunch of grapes rise and make its way over to him. He plucked it out of the air and placed his empty cup on the floor next to his chair, picking at the grapes contentedly. They sat in a comfortable silence until it was time to for their meeting—Anakin buttoned up the high collar of his coat and Rex holstered his DC-17s and slid on his suit jacket. He offered his arm to his General as he had the day before, and he accepted it with a smile that momentarily took Rex’s breath away.

The meeting itself wasn’t as painful as he had anticipated. The Enobans appeared to have been personally offended by the Separatist invasion of their moon and were willing to negotiate a beneficial agreement with the Republic that included key medical supplies. It turned out that the agriculture on Enoba had endured a harsh growing season, and so General Skywalker agreed to request a division of the Agricultural Corps be sent to the planet to assist during the next sowing season.

Now that Rex knew he was allowed, he put a hand on Anakin whenever he could feel him growing anxious or angry. He relaxed under a light grip and Rex tried not to read into it or think about the fact that his presence was apparently comforting to his General.

When they finished the meeting and rose to leave, one of Anakin’s boots caught against his chair leg and Rex threw out an arm to steady him. He straightened up faster than anticipated but leaned into Rex anyway. It was worryingly easy to make the motion look natural as they followed their host out of the meeting room and into a banquet hall. Once there, Rex saw enough food spread out on the long table to make him falter.

They were led to their seats and Rex let go of Anakin’s arm so they could settle themselves in front of their namecards. Minister Rohana was speaking at the head of the table but Rex wasn’t quite paying attention—there were plates piled high with roasted meats and freshly cut greens, sliced fruits and vegetables that made Rex salivate, but also told him that, despite their troubles with their crops, they were obviously sending the best of their reduced crop to the higher levels of society.

He could feel Anakin fidgeting next to him as he eyed the food, and he smiled.

Minister Rohana finished their little speech about camaraderie in the face of adversity and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He could hear Rex’s stomach growl and it was hard for Anakin to keep his attention away from the spread of food on the table in front of them. No matter how long it had been since he left Tatooine, he still felt overwhelmed whenever he saw an excess of food that he was actually allowed to eat.

It was a rare occasion that he and his mother had food to spare, even though he had realized only later that she had taken on extra work around his Life Day at the same time she was able to make one of his favorite spiced stews.

The Minister finished their speech and sat, prompting the various officials around the table to begin the lunch. Anakin could see Rex hesitate out of the corner of his eye. They both watched the people around them reaching for different plates and they did the same. Anakin could tell that Rex was trying to restrain himself from piling his plate with a little bit of everything, but he didn’t mind. He was trying not to do the same.

The meal was meant to be eaten piece by piece and his Captain had taken several different kinds of meat and laid them out on his plate with what looked like chili oil. He made a small pile of sliced green onion and reached for the flat rounds of bread.

Anakin had just placed his third dumpling on his plate when he noticed a trend around the table as a couple of officials leaned toward their neighbors and began exchanging food. He nudged Rex’s knee beneath the table.

“It appears that _companions_ are supposed to share their plates.”

Rex looked around the table quickly but slid his own plate closer for Anakin to take his pick.

“I’m sure no matter what you pick it’ll be better than ration bars.” Rex’s lips quirked into a small smile as he took a dumpling. “You want some of the duck, Anakin?”

There was the slightest of hesitations before Rex said his name, and Anakin had severely underestimated how good it would sound, how comforting. He could pretend that they were enjoying a meal somewhere outside of the war, with Rex pressed to his side and all the time in the world. His Captain deserved more than a war that never looked as though it would never end. All of his men did.

But to see him in an environment such as this, Anakin could almost picture the life they could have had— _he_ could have had.

He nodded gently and Rex passed over some of the duck from his plate. Anakin reached for a platter of bright pink shellfish and placed a couple in front of Rex.

“Try these. I took to seafood pretty quick after leaving the desert and I think you’ll like them too.”

He tasted it and his eyes lit up. Anakin took a bite of the meat on his own plate as he was distracted and was immediately hit by the wave of heat from the chili oil. He kept the worst of the cough in the back of his throat but he could feel his face turning red. As he reached for his drink, he saw Rex trying hard not to laugh with such a fond look on his face that Anakin could feel a blush attempting to work its way through his already flushed cheeks.

Rex smiled softly at him and shook his head, like it was just the two of them at the table. Anakin sipped his drink and tried not to lose himself in the bubble of warmth they had settled into. They picked from each other’s plates, leaning in close and savoring the momentary calm.

It was close to dusk when they followed Minister Rohana into their office in order to finalize the agreement. There was a light breeze coming in from the open window as his General and the Minister leaned over some paperwork at the large wooden desk.

Rex casually inspected one of the paintings on the wall as they spoke, until he saw something glinting just through the curtains at the window.

Skywalker tensed next to the desk and pushed out with the force just as a blaster shot cracked through the air where the Minister had been standing moments before. Rex lunged for the window in time to see a dark shape moving down the trellis of vines to the courtyard below.

“General, are you okay?”

Anakin clasped the Minister’s shoulder, who quickly called for help, then nodded at him before they both made their way towards the door. They passed a couple of aides on their way down the stairs.

“Did you see the weapon?”

“Yes, sir, blaster pistol. DL-18 maybe.” 

“Close-range shot. They waited until we were alone with Minister Rohana. They wanted to implicate us.”

Rex huffed irritably as they skidded into the courtyard below the room they had just occupied. “That’s one way to ensure the deal doesn’t go through.” He itched to unholster his own pistols, but they were in a public square and there were too many civilians still on the streets.

“There,” Anakin pointed to the corner of a building where a figure was ducking out of sight. They sprinted after him, trying to keep enough distance between them that the assassin didn’t catch on to who was tailing him. As they turned a few more corners the sky got progressively darker. They spotted the assassin talking hurriedly with someone in a darkened doorway. They ducked into the mouth of a nearby alley and watched, but as whoever the man was meeting with disappeared down a side street, a noise rattled behind them in the alley. Both Rex and Anakin turned to glare at whatever rat-monkey had made the sound and the assassin’s head jerked towards them.

The man slowly inched closer to inspect the source of the noise, and Rex saw him reach a hand into his jacket, presumably for whatever weapon was hidden inside. Anakin turned to him and Rex could see the brief moment of panic that was overcome by whatever decision he had come to in his head.

“Rex, may I kiss you?”

Rex’s brain abruptly stalled.

 _“Sir?_ ”

Anakin glanced back out of the mouth of the alley to check on the progress of the assassin. His cheeks were pink when he turned back to Rex. “Most people don’t look too closely when they see a couple who appear… intimate.”

Though he appreciated the clarification, Rex’s mind was still stuck on a loop of his General asking to kiss him.

He watched Anakin worry his bottom lip as he shot another quick look out of the alley, and the resolve that he had been holding onto the entire karking trip started to break. If his General thought that them making out in an alley was integral to the success of the mission… he wasn’t going to stop him.

“Yes,” came his barely-there response.

Anakin must have heard it because he took a deep breath, put a hand on Rex’s shoulder, and leaned in. One of his hands came up to cup Rex’s cheek and he hovered about an inch away from his face before gently pressing their lips together.

As he changed the angle of his lips just slightly, Rex was thinking hard. Then his brain caught up to the situation.

His General was _kissing_ him.

It was soft, and it was perfect.

Anakin was holding his face like it was something fragile and he didn’t want to let go.

But it was absolutely not going to fool anyone who looked around the corner expecting to find two passionate lovers in a blind alley.

He pulled away from Anakin’s (unfairly soft) lips and looked up at him as he blinked confusedly. Rex raised his own hand to cover the one on his cheek and spoke into the tense silence between them.

“May I kiss _you_ , sir?”

Anakin’s eyes went wide and he nodded shakily. Rex glanced toward the mouth of the alley, then put both of his hands on his General’s waist and flipped their positions until he had him pressed between his own body and the wall. He put a hand on the side of Anakin’s neck, thumb resting at the hinge of his jaw and fingers tangling in that silky hair and pulled his head down to crash their lips together in a decidedly less chaste kiss.

The tension melted out of Anakin and he went pliant beneath Rex, who could feel hot breath on his mouth and a pulse jumping under his fingers. He slanted his lips against Anakin’s and took his bottom lip between his teeth. He felt more than heard the shuddering moan and he had to lock down the wave of want and arousal that sparked down his spine at the noise. Anakin straightened up against the wall and Rex took the opportunity to duck his head and mouth a kiss at the trembling pulsepoint high on his neck.

He gathered together enough rational thought to realize he had been right before. In those ridiculous boots, his General was at just the right height for Rex to scrape his teeth lightly along the column of his throat, but the high keening noise that escaped Anakin’s mouth made him pull away slightly and take a deep breath of night air.

He spoke with his face tucked into the side of Anakin’s neck. He smelled like the soap they both used in the shower that morning, along with something Rex knew was engine grease.

“Is he still nearby?”

Anakin had slipped his hands under Rex’s jacket and his breath hitched as blunt fingernails traced patterns along his ribs, just below the blasters still holstered at his sides.

“Mmm?” came the vague response, and Rex could feel the vibrations in his General’s throat from where his lips were still pressed against skin.

“ _Anakin._ ”

Rex felt fingertips dig hard into the dip in his lower back until they were pressed impossibly close together, but Anakin’s eyes focused and he kept still, just barely. His voice was rougher than Rex expected, swallowing before he spoke where Rex could feel the movement under his lips.

“He passed by the alley but he’s still close.”

Rex figured they still had a few more minutes until they were forced to part, and he used the hand still in Anakin’s hair to tilt his head to the side and work a faint mark into his neck just above the high collar of his embroidered coat, keeping his face hidden. He prayed that he wouldn’t be pushed away for taking advantage of the situation, but at the answering roll of his General’s narrow hips Rex pulled away and rested his head on Anakin’s collarbone, breathing heavily.

Anakin’s arms snaked around his back and he was tugged close again so he could press a soft kiss to Rex’s temple as they both caught their breath. They stayed like that for several minutes until Rex heard his General’s voice low and close in his ear.

“I think he’s gone.”

Rex leaned away until he was at arms-length and looked out of the alley—the assassin was gone, but so was whoever hired him. He glanced back at Anakin and found it hard not to continue pressing him to the brick wall and pretending they were still the lovers they had played for the public.

His breathing had calmed but Skywalker’s pupils were still blown and his lips were shiny and red. Rex could see the mark he had made on his General’s neck and he snatched his hand back when he realized it was still threaded through his hair. He could swear Anakin’s eyes tracked the movement with something like disappointment.

He pulled his arms out from around Rex, his fingers lightly grazing his sides as they slipped away. Rex locked down the heat in his spine and his bitterness as the warmth between them disappeared.

Rex straightened his suit jacket and Anakin ran a hand through his hair.

They didn’t look at each other as they made their way back to the central courtyard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anakin's love language is floating fruit: confirmed.
> 
> Anakin's outfit on the first day- [this](https://www.thefashionisto.com/balmain-hm-men-2015-collection-runway-show/#jp-carousel-443929) but a burgundy color with high boots.  
> Anakin's coat for the second day- [this beauty](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/788130003521953393/)
> 
> Both Rex and Anakin would absolutely steal toiletries out of hotel bathrooms


	3. Maybe it wasn't so pretend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While there is a smidgen of angst in this chapter, it is largely overshadowed by the _overwhelming_ sappiness.

Anakin had regained the appearance of control, but inside his chest his heart was threatening to ram a hole through his ribs and the heat coursing down his spine tugged him towards his Captain like a pole star.

He would admit, the choice to kiss Rex in order to obscure their presence may have been rooted in his own… impulsive desires, but when his Captain actually said yes all he could bring himself to do was be gentle. Rex had not asked to be thrust into such a situation with his CO, and Anakin didn’t want to force anything onto him that he wasn’t comfortable with.

But when they switched roles, Anakin found himself pressed between his Captain’s muscular body and the hard stone wall and it took every ounce of self control not to melt into the pavement. His toes curled inside the ridiculous boots Padmé had given him, and he made a note to thank her as Rex took advantage of the extra few inches of height. Anakin felt teeth against his throat and the noise that left his mouth had them both pulling way to catch their breath.

Rex’s voice rumbled against his neck and then he used his _name_ and Anakin wanted nothing more than to bask in the heated feeling that hooked into his gut and pulled. Anakin tugged his Captain closer without thinking and the press of Rex’s mouth against his skin seared him like a brand while his hips moved involuntarily.

When they broke apart Anakin pulled him close so he could hide his face in his Captain’s short hair, leaving a kiss on his temple just because he was close enough to do so. He tamped down the whine in the back of his throat when Rex finally removed his hand from Anakin’s hair, and they walked back through the winding alleyways in absolute silence.

He tried to ignore the staticky feeling that buzzed just below his skin, aching to be touched. Rex only kissed him because they required a distraction. Only took his neck between his teeth to make it appear real. Anakin resisted the urge to touch the mark he could feel aching dully just beneath his jaw—the proof of it would be too much.

In any other circumstance, he should have been able to compartmentalize for the sake of the mission. The assassin didn’t want _them_ dead, after all, because they needed someone to pin the blame on, but the more he thought about the weight of his Captain’s body and the warmth lingering in his veins and the fact that they still needed to share a bed that night…

Anakin was finding it very difficult to compartmentalize.

They made their way back to the main courtyard and found it swarming with security, but they were allowed to pass through on their way to check on Minister Rohana. They were in the same office as before, but the window was closed, the blinds drawn, and guards stood at every entrance. The Minister looked rattled but resolute.

“Ah, gentlemen. Did you catch the criminal who did this?”

Anakin coughed and he saw Rex blush slightly out of the corner of his eye. “Not yet, sir. But we do have reason to believe that his mission was to sabotage this treaty by pinning your death on us. Have you noticed anyone who has been unusually opposed to the deal?”

Rohana thought for a moment before nodding slowly, “Our Minister of Defense tried repeatedly to get me to consider a deal with the Separatists instead. I thought it was merely an interest in getting his hands on their technology, but perhaps it was more. I didn’t even consider it. I would not bargain with those who killed our people with such callousness.”

Anakin thought about it. “When is the next time he’ll be out in public?”

“He’s expected to appear at breakfast tomorrow, supposedly as a goodwill gesture for your departure.”

“If you can, Minister, can you put a watch on his home? Not for him specifically, but we need to know if he meets with anyone to make further plans.”

Anakin could see Minister Rohana’s jaw working, but they nodded and that was the most they could do at present. The villa was covered in guards—there was little chance of another attack happening that night, and they bid their farewells and made their way back to their shared quarters.

As soon as he stepped inside, Anakin discarded his heavy embroidered coat, knuckles skimming the mark on his neck as he worked the buttons of the high collar. He turned to see Rex staring out over the balcony—his fingers were tapping one of the jaig eye pins on his lapel absently.

Anakin watched him and an oily feeling of shame dripped its way into his chest. He needed to make sure his Captain was still okay with staying in the same room after all that had happened. Rex raised his head and looked at him with a curiously blank expression, and Anakin swallowed nervously.

“Rex, I’m really sorry. I know you didn’t sign up for all of this.”

Rex shook his head. “Sir—”

“And I know you said that you were okay with playing this role, but it wasn’t supposed to go this far, and I pressured you—”

“General—”

But Anakin wasn’t listening, his brain had fallen into a sudden downward spiral of watching Rex leave after this mission. He had pushed too far this time.

“And I can sleep on the floor tonight, and when we leave you can never mention this again if you want, you can even leave—”

“ ** _Anakin_** _._ ”

Suddenly Rex’s hands were on his shoulders and he looked slightly panicked. “I am not going to leave you. Not for anything. Especially not for one kiss in a dark alley that probably saved our skins.”

He laughed hollowly and the few feet between them suddenly felt like far more. “If you hadn’t suggested it, I never would have dared.”

Anakin’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, it was the only thing I could think of. If there was another option—” But Rex shook his head.

“I didn’t mean like that.”

Anakin looked at him, confused and lost. Rex said he never would have kissed him. He should have been furious, then, that Anakin had pushed him into it.

But Rex looked at him with sadness in his eyes, and ever so carefully reached up and put his hand on the side of Anakin’s neck, right where it had been in the alley. Fingers threaded into his hair, Rex pulled until their foreheads were pressed together and Anakin’s breath caught in his throat.

“I never would have dared to kiss you, because if I did, I would risk being taken away from you.” His voice was low but it carried clearly across the scant few inches of space between them. “And I’m sorry, too, that I put you in that position. I would understand if you didn’t feel comfortable around me after this, but know that I would never leave your side.”

He made to pull away but Anakin raised his hand quickly to the back of Rex’s neck and held him there. When he shook his head, his nose brushed against his Captain’s.

“Rex, I would never let anyone take you away. And I’m not _uncomfortable_ with the fact that you kissed me.” Anakin pulled back a bit so he could look Rex in the eye and he felt himself blushing a bright crimson. His Captain’s forehead furrowed in thought before he looked up, confused.

“But… you’ve been avoiding me, and you said you would have preferred _not_ to kiss me.”

“That’s because I made you uncomfortable! I thought you would _want_ to leave.” They looked at each other for a very long time before Anakin’s brain caught up to what he was hearing. “So, you don’t want to leave because of what I did?”

Rex smiled, soft and hesitant, and shook his head. “Never.”

“And you’re not mad that I kissed you?”

His Captain leaned forward until they were touching again. “Quite the opposite, actually.” And for the first time since they landed, Rex released the shielding around his mind and allowed Anakin to skim his ambient emotions.

_Oh._

Anakin could feel his ears burning but he pressed his forehead against Rex’s and gave him a brilliant smile. He soaked in the warm affection radiating from his Captain, and he oddly wanted to cry from the feeling of such intense devotion directed solely at him. Anakin’s own mind reflected the same emotions in a swell of happiness that had him tightening his grip.

They stood like that, comfortably basking in each other’s presence until something occurred to Anakin. He stepped back and leveled a glare at their bags, sitting innocently at the foot of the bed.

“I can’t believe Padmé.”

Rex dropped his hand to Anakin’s shoulder and gave him a questioning look. In response, he ran his fingers over the shimmery material of his Captain’s shirt.

“She absolutely knew what she was doing when she picked out these clothes.”

Rex laughed, startled but amused, and wrapped his arms around Anakin’s waist. “She definitely did, with those damned tailored coats of yours. And don’t even get me started on the boots. That woman’s a kriffing menace.”

Anakin raised a hand to his heart in mock outrage, “How dare you insult one of my oldest friends.” He leaned in closer. “And you didn’t seem to mind my boots earlier.”

Rex made a low rumbling noise in the back of his throat and ducked his head to press a feather-light kiss to the mark on Anakin’s neck. The soothing warmth of his affection curled around them lazily in the force and his legs felt like jelly. The buzz under his skin only increased at every point Rex touched, and the heat that suffused his body from his Captain’s proximity had begun searing hot and sparking down his spine.

“Rex?”

“Mmmm?”

“Can I kiss you again?”

Rex pulled back to look at him, his irises rings of gold around his blown pupils, but he answered with a bemused smile. “Of course.”

So, Anakin leaned in and did just that.

He kissed his Captain gently at first, savoring the experience that he never thought he’d get to have. Anakin thought about all the times he had admired his bravery, or his fearlessness, wondering if he knew he was cataloging his loyalty, too, and every single smile ever tossed his way. Because he had, even if he hadn’t realized it at the time.

He moved his hands to either side of Rex’s neck and he felt his arms tightening around his waist. The kiss turned heated the more comfortable they became with each other, and Anakin’s hands shifted to push the suit jacket off Rex’s shoulders. His pistols were carefully set aside as they continued to peel away pieces of their disguise.

By the time Anakin’s back hit the sheets, their clothing had been discarded, crumpled and soundless, shoes thrown into darkened corners. Rex’s mouth found every scar etched in his skin, pressing apologies into them one by one. Anakin’s hands traced patterns on every bit of Rex he could reach, and he reveled in the goosebumps that erupted in the wake of his fingertips. Rex sucked marks into various places—beneath his collarbone, just over his heart, a spot on his ribs that was particularly sensitive, right near the jut of his hip, the soft skin of his inner thigh.

The breeze that drifted in through the balcony window sent chills along their bodies, and the heat between them mounted as they moved against each other. Every loose object in the room rattled as Anakin’s already-wavering control slipped completely away. He could feel Rex groan against him, and he lost himself completely to the feeling as the world narrowed to only the impression of his Captain’s skin against his.

Rex woke in the morning to the sun streaming through the balcony windows, pinned beneath the weight of his General for the second night in a row. But this time he was hit with the realization that he didn’t need to push him away.

He had been so worried yesterday. Worried that he had taken their charade too far. Worried that Anakin would be too uncomfortable around him to continue working together. He thought it might be the last time he got to be so close to his _jetii_.

But then Anakin had been just as nervous, suggesting that Rex would want to _leave_ , and something in his chest broke at the very idea.

When he brought up his worry that Anakin might _want_ him to go, he seemed just as distressed.

‘ _I would never let anyone take you away’_

When he recognized the same yearning-lost look in his General’s eyes, he wanted to laugh himself sick.

They were quite the pair.

Rex ran his fingers lightly through Anakin’s hair as they laid in the morning sun and his General huffed against his neck, curling closer around him. The blankets were just low enough that he could revel in the expanse of tanned skin available for him to touch without regret. He brought one of his hands up and brushed his knuckles lightly against the line of Anakin’s spine and the _jetii_ stirred slightly. Muscles shifted under his fingers and he felt lips press themselves against his neck from where his General’s face was buried in the crook of his shoulder.

Rex increased the pressure of his fingers on Anakin’s back. “Go back to sleep.”

“Don’t want to,” came the muffled response.

Rex craned his neck to look at the chrono on the bedside table, “Please, sir, we have an appointment with an assassin in two and a half hours.” Anakin gave a little shudder against him.

“Do not call me sir while we’re in bed, Rex.”

In response, Rex tightened the arm around his General and, with a quick flex, switched their positions until he was staring down into wide blue eyes. He nudged Anakin’s knees until he was settled comfortably between his slim hips. Rex could see the marks he had left the night before and something hot and possessive curled around his spine and he lowered his head until their lips were barely touching.

“Not _sir,_ then.” He pressed a light kiss to the corner of Anakin’s mouth.

“What about _General?_ ”

Another kiss to the opposite corner.

“ _Anakin?_ ”

One on the swell of his bottom lip.

“ _Ner jetii._ ”

He punctuated the last, open-mouthed kiss with a lazy roll of his hips that had a groan working its way into the air between them. Anakin chased his lips as Rex pulled away and then let his head fall back against the bed, burnished curls fanning out like a halo.

“If I’d have known you were such a kriffing tease—"

“You wouldn’t have asked to kiss me?” Rex ducked his head and worked a new mark into the junction of his neck and shoulder as Anakin paused, seemingly in thought. He sighed after a few moments.

“No, I probably still would’ve.”

Rex chuckled into his skin, inhaling the smell of engine grease that clung to his General no matter how much he washed. He mouthed along the line of his jaw, continuing to roll his hips slowly until Anakin was squirming beneath him. He raised a hand to the back of Rex’s neck and whined as he crashed their lips together.

Heat built in the base of his spine as Anakin surged against him, his back arching away from the bed, and they melted into each other again.

They resigned themselves to actually leaving the bed more than an hour later. They took turns in the ‘fresher, even though Anakin had not-so-subtly hinted that the shower was big enough for two, but Rex regretfully reminded him that they were needed at the council breakfast and that they really did need to get ready.

Rex caught an aide in the hall and requested another pot of caf, and he and Anakin slipped seamlessly into a morning routine that felt as if it had always been there. He dug the last shirt out of his bag—this time it was a clear, deep blue, and his General insisted on buttoning it for him. It took longer than anticipated because Anakin stopped every few buttons to press light kisses to every part of his face.

Rex got him back by helping him with his shirt, tucking it in with lingering swipes of his hands beneath his General’s waistband. He ignored Anakin’s pleading looks and lifted the cape Senator Amidala had sent them (in the same blue as Rex’s shirt, the embroidery a light gold). He brushed his knuckles purposefully against Anakin’s neck as he fastened it, pretending not to see the shiver it produced, but he couldn’t keep up the act for long as he gave in to temptation and used his grip on the cape to pull Anakin close and kiss him soundly. It was a sensation he could easily get used to.

Once they separated, he poured out two cups of caf, pausing before he added several scoops of sugar and a fair amount of cream to one, handing it over to Anakin. The adoring smile he received in return was enough to curl his toes, and Rex watched his General sip it contentedly.

He didn’t have to curb his gaze for once, and the emotions he used to box away now bubbled in his veins like hot syrup. But the more he thought about it, the more logic crept in through the cracks and it cooled those same emotions into something as fragile as spun sugar. Rex turned away and stood on the balcony to gather his thoughts.

This mission couldn’t last forever. They were supposed to be back on the _Resolute_ before the day was up. What would they do then? Rex’s grip on his mug tightened to the point that his knuckles ached when he considered what would happen to him if they were this open with their affections while they were around superiors like Admiral Yularen. Most likely he would be sent back to Kamino for reconditioning, but there was a possibility he would be decommissioned. And he didn’t want to think about what would happen to Anakin as a _jetii_.

Probably sensing the writhing pit that was his thoughts, the man in question came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his chest, lips brushing the skin just behind his ear.

“I can feel you thinking from over there.”

Rex traced the knuckles on his General’s hand while he tried to calm his nerves.

“…What happens when we get back to the ship?”

Anakin’s arms tightened around him possessively, but he thought for a long moment.

“This wouldn’t come off particularly well with the council, I’ll admit, but I stand by what I said last night. I would never let anyone take you away.”

Rex took a deep breath, still thinking.

“We would have to pretend.”

He heard a warning rumble from the body still plastered against his back. “I don’t want to either, but even you can’t stop the higher-ups in the GAR from doing something if they really put their minds to it.”

But Rex knew that there might be the smallest glimmer of hope, that they weren’t alone in the GAR. He knew that Bly was absolutely smitten with General Secura, and Rex didn’t think she was indifferent to his feelings. And Cody couldn’t be completely oblivious to the fond way General Kenobi looked at him behind his back.

Anakin shifted to curl around his side and he looked at Rex, something small and scared in his eyes. “But you still want this, right?”

“ _Ratiin, ner jetii._ ”

His General’s anxious look melted away in the wake of a brilliant smile and he leaned in to rest his forehead against his temple, but Rex turned his head so they were facing each other and he took a deep breath. Anakin leaned away with a glimmer in his eye.

“I’d like to learn more Mando’a, if you’ll teach me.”

Rex laughed, “And maybe you could teach me Huttese sometime.”

Anakin’s eyes remained soft even as his grin twisted in displeasure. “Maybe some of the choice curse words, but other than that… it’s tied to the years of my life I don’t like to think about.”

Rex thought about that as they looked out over the forest beyond the terraces of the city.

After a while he considered his General, wrapped around him like a mynock, and grinned lightly. “I don’t think the 501st will mind much, but if we do things like this in front of Yularen, it’ll get back to the your council in no time.”

Anakin only tightened his grip like he didn’t want to let go. “I won’t let us be separated. I can be subtle.” Rex snorted and he heard Anakin chuckle from where his chest was pressed to his side.

“But after the war… I don’t want to hide.”

Rex’s hand stilled where it had been idly tracing patterns on the arm wrapped around his chest. He kept his voice calm.

“What exactly do you mean?”

“I mean that, our best chance of winning this war is staying where we are and leading from the front, but afterward? When the war is over, I don’t want to have to hide you. The council can do what they like with me, but I don’t want to go anywhere without you.”

Rex didn’t move. “Would they kick you out? I won’t be responsible for that, Anakin.”

“While relationships aren’t completely frowned upon, they know me well enough to know any relationship I had would make _you_ the most important thing to me. They wouldn’t accept me putting you above my duties to the Order.”

Rex stood very still and thought very hard while Anakin continued.

“But, if I left voluntarily, it might be on good terms.”

“Can you do that? Just leave?” Rex ignored the hope that was clawing its way through his chest in favor of focusing on what he could grasp. Right then it was the fabric of his General’s sleeve beneath his fingers and the echoing refrain of _I don’t want to go anywhere without you._

“Yes, if I wanted to.” Anakin leaned his cheek against Rex’s temple as they both stared out over the trees. “I can’t leave until this war is over, though. I won’t leave the men alone until I know they’re safe.”

Rex turned until his arms wrapped around his General’s waist and his fingers were pressed into the small of his back.

“If I’m being honest, I never gave any thought to after the war. Never let myself be that optimistic.”

Anakin wrapped his arms around him so tightly Rex felt his ribs shift. Then he pulled back far enough to kiss him fiercely.

“We are both making it to the end of this war. And then we can do whatever you want, because where you go, I go, _ner alor’ad._ ”

The hope he had been ignoring sparked bright and hot in his chest then, burrowing itself deep with a simple declaration.

“I thought that was my line, _ner jetii,_ ” he said as he leaned up and pressed their foreheads soundly together in as much his own admission of love as he was capable of expressing in that moment. He kissed Anakin’s nose and cheeks before crushing him into another hug and resting his forehead on his General’s collarbone.

Rex’s voice was muffled into Anakin’s shirt when he spoke. “We do actually have to go to that breakfast at some point.”

Anakin’s answering laugh shook them both.

They arrived in the banquet hall and Anakin didn’t want to take his hands off Rex any more than he had to. Because now he was actually allowed to touch his Captain. Allowed to curl as close as he wanted with no fear of being pushed away in disgust. He had awoken to Rex’s fingers on his skin and his gentle, incandescent joy bleeding into the force, and he was still basking in those feelings for as long as he possibly could.

He hadn’t lied to Rex. He loved being a Jedi, but he had come to realize that there were some things they just couldn’t do—either because they were too few in number or because their increasing subjugation to the whims of the Senate meant that they had little say in who and how they could help. He knew now, in intimate detail, how his fantasies of becoming a Jedi when he was nine years old differed from his current reality.

Deep down, there was a part of him that remained nine years old. And that little boy still yearned to play the part of Hero, flying into town in his starship with a sword made of light and scaring all the monsters away.

But he knew that, in the twelve years since he left his scorched and dusty planet behind, he couldn’t be the true shining knight. He had let hate and anger take root and his armor was rusting.

His newfound hope came in the form of Rex.

Loyal, beautiful, brave Rex.

If he was beside Anakin, it felt so much easier to stay in the light, because Rex was the embodiment of all the things he lacked. He was always so _good_. Any anger Anakin saw was borne out of fear for someone else. He never raised his voice unless he needed to. Never struck without reason.

Not like him.

Anakin pulled his thoughts from the depths they wanted to sink into and concentrated on scanning the perimeter of the room for any signs of the assassin from the day before. Rex had a hand on the small of his back and was examining the room just as intensely. He leaned in until his nose was less than an inch away from his Captain's buzzed golden hair.

“You’re going to have to let go of me at some point.”

He could feel Rex snort and caught a wave of fond exasperation in the force. The hand against his back pressed them closer together.

“I know. But these are the same people who thought we were together from the beginning.”

“Fair point.”

Anakin eventually pulled out of his grip when it came time to take their seats, but he didn’t move more than a few feet away, even shuffling his chair to be just a bit closer. They received a significant look from Minister Rohana, who gestured furtively to a man sitting on the other side of the table. He seemed oddly twitchy, but otherwise displayed no outward signs that he had commissioned an assassin.

As the breakfast went on, Anakin enjoyed brushing his finger’s against Rex’s, knowing the assassin wouldn’t make a move until they were alone with Minister Rohana, and savoring the brief calm. He liked watching a tiny smile appear on his Captain’s face as he tried to maintain his stoic professionality.

An image formed in Anakin’s head. Waking up like he did that morning, making Rex smile as much as possible, making him laugh and sinking into the sound. He wanted it so badly his chest ached. He wanted to stay by Rex’s side until they were both old and grey. He would even endure the inevitable _I told you so_ from Padmé and whatever teasing Ahsoka was likely to cook up for him. Obi Wan had once been accepting of his attempt to leave the Order, and if they were no longer at war Anakin was confident he would not stop him.

He _wanted_ , but he did not make plans.

That he could do with Rex by his side and all the hope in the world between them.

Anakin watched as the last of the plates was cleared and he turned to their host. “Minister Rohana, may we speak with you? I’d like to explain more about the workings of AgriCorps before their visit.”

The Minister nodded jerkily, and as they walked toward an antechamber off the banquet hall Anakin saw a shadowy figure peel away from one of the walls. Rex signaled him discreetly and as they crossed into the side hall they made a show of huddling close in conversation. The moment the assassin crossed the threshold, guards sprung from every corner and swarmed him.

The Minister of Defense had been desperate. His assassin had gotten sloppy while trying to carry out his orders before Anakin and Rex left the planet and attempted to make his move too soon. If he was honest, capturing the assassin had been possibly the easiest part of the entire karking mission.

He and Rex received a warm farewell from Minister Rohana after the assassin had been led away, and they promised again to send help to aid in sustaining their crops for the next growing season.

They made their way back to the shuttle they had left in one of the docking bays two days ago, with all of their bags in tow. They traded off shifts in the ‘fresher to change back into their armor, and for Anakin slipping his chestplate over his head felt like admitting defeat.

He hid himself, piece by piece, turning back into the person he had been before the mission. He had been blind to the affection he had for his Captain, blind to the surge of utter sunlit elation when Rex felt the same. He didn’t want to go back to being ignorant of the happiness he could possess.

Rex took his turn in the refresher as Anakin plugged in their coordinates to rendezvous back with the _Resolute_. His grip tightened on the steering yoke as his thoughts drifted.

The _swish_ of the door was followed by a hand on his shoulder. He glanced up to see Rex back in his scratched plastoid, decorated in the 501st Blue—Anakin’s color. Rex leaned in and pressed a lingering kiss to Anakin’s temple, and the worried tension in his shoulders lifted.

His Captain settled into the co-pilot’s chair, reaching up to flip a switch and speaking into the quiet of the cabin.

“After the war, we could pick a planet. Something with a conflict or two, can’t be too dull.”

Anakin’s heart sang as he smiled. “Of course not.”

Rex fiddled with one of the dials without looking at him, but his chest rose and fell with a deep breath.

“I was actually thinking about Zygerria.”

Anakin’s shoulders tensed minutely. “What about it?”

“Well, the Republic’s hands were tied and they couldn’t exactly stop it… but if, at some point, we no longer worked for the Republic, maybe we could do something.”

Anakin was in danger of falling in love all over again.

He took the time to actually picture leaving with Rex after the war. They could visit Obi Wan and Padmé and Ahsoka, and Rex wouldn’t have to be a soldier anymore.

But they could still help people.

The look Rex gave him was so soft Anakin felt like melting.

“We have to call the 501st to let them know we’re approaching. You won’t be nearly as subtle as you think if you’re smiling like that the whole time.”

Anakin forced his face into a neutral expression that made Rex laugh before he punched in the comm for the _Resolute_. A spectral blue image of Echo flickered to life over the holoprojector.

Rex paused, “Where’s Fives?”

Echo glanced out of view of the projector and Anakin could see traces of what looked like glitter smeared along the side of his pauldron. “He’s… unavailable at the moment.”

Rex ran a hand over his face. “I leave for three days. You _osik’kovide_ better not have trashed the ship.”

“We did not.” Echo looked mildly indignant. “Everyone is fine. You two on your way back?”

Anakin looked at the display to check on their trajectory and his eyes wandered over to Rex. He felt a smile tugging at his lips before he forced himself back into professionalism. Being subtle might be harder than he thought. He cleared his throat and turned to Echo.

“Yeah, we’re about 15 minutes out.”

Echo stared at him oddly. He turned to Rex, who wasn’t looking the hologram, and scrutinized his expression. Anakin turned to look at Rex as well, but there was nothing on his face that would draw Echo’s interest—it was, however, turning an interesting shade of pink.

Echo’s expression changed the longer he looked at them, eyes darting between Rex and Anakin. His eyes went wide and he opened his mouth to say something when Rex reached quickly for the comm.

“Yep, not far out, we’ll meet you when we land.” He shut it off before Echo had a chance to speak. Rex’s cheeks were still pink and Anakin raised an eyebrow.

“What was that all about?”

“He and Fives might have… deduced my feelings towards you and pestered me about it.”

Anakin felt unreasonably pleased.

“And _I’m_ the one who needs to be subtle?”

Rex shrugged, but he was grinning. “You are definitely the worse of the two of us, yes.”

Anakin leaned closer and kissed him lightly. “So I shouldn’t do this?” He kissed his Captain’s nose. “Or this?” He kissed his cheek.

Rex stood and Anakin followed, only to be swiftly pulled forward as he felt hands slide up to cup his cheeks.

“Only if you want me to report you.”

“What for?”

Rex caught his lips with his own. “Public indecency.”

Anakin laughed and the sound echoed around the cramped cabin as Rex smiled. He moved one of his hands up until it was around the back of his neck and pulled, their foreheads resting together as Anakin’s laughter subsided. They rested like that as they listened to the automated docking sequence bring them into the hangar bay.

Rex squeezed the back of Anakin’s neck before he pulled away. “Let’s go greet our men and give _them_ a lesson in discretion.”

Anakin lifted a hand to straighten his Captain’s pauldron before he turned, grabbing his helmet off the console. He pressed a quick kiss to the plastoid before handing it back as Rex rolled his eyes.

“Sounds like a plan, _ner alor’ad_.”

They both resisted the urge to reach out to each other as they walked down the ramp and into a crowd of very smug troopers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then Palpatine is defeated for reasons the author hasn't come up with yet and Anakin and Rex go off and bust up slaver rings until they're old and grey. Echo wins enough money in the betting pool with the 501st to retire to Scarif where nothing bad ever happens to him or Fives. Cody and Obi Wan have been in a relationship since almost the beginning of the war, they are just far, _far_ better at being subtle.
> 
> Ner jetii: my Jedi  
> Ratiin: Always  
> Ner alor'ad: my Captain  
> Osik'kovide: shitheads
> 
> Parts of Anakin's thoughts about the Order are taken from the _Obi-Wan and Anakin_ comic (issue #4), including the reference to the time he almost left.
> 
> Anakin's embroidered cape: [this one](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2020-menswear/etro/slideshow/collection#43) (but bluer)
> 
> Much love to all the clowns who stuck with this fic, and thank you for all your support!

**Author's Note:**

> Rex is a natural blonde and you can pry that fact from my cold dead hands.
> 
> hmu on tumblr at gershwyndl if you wanna talk star wars


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